Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) attends the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The Vietnamese government leader called for stronger political determination, greater resources, and more decisive actions to implement poverty alleviation and reduction programmes and projects. He stressed that poverty eradication is not only a profoundly humanitarian endeavor but also one of the most critical foundations for ensuring peace, security, and stability worldwide, and highlighted Vietnam's achievements as a success model in this scheme.
From a war-torn and impoverished nation, heavily affected by nearly 40 years of wars and 30 years of embargoes, Vietnam has set ambitious goals for multidimensional and inclusive poverty reduction, addressing problems in health care, education, housing, clean water, and living environments. As a result, the Southeast Asian nation achieved the UN Millennium Development Goals a decade ahead of schedule, reducing its poverty rate from over 58% in the early 1990s to approximately 1.9% in 2024. Vietnam has risen into one of the world's leading agricultural exporters, particularly in rice.
Confirming Vietnam's determination to eradicate all temporary and dilapidated houses nationwide by 2025, five years ahead of the set target, Chinh shared three key lessons from Vietnam's success in poverty reduction, namely refraining from purely economic growth at the expense of social welfare, progress, equity, and the environment; attaching special importance to food security and taking agriculture as a pillar of the economy; taking people as the centre and prioritising investment in people, and developing high-quality human resources associated with science and technology and innovation.
Building on these lessons, he proposed three strategic guarantees to drive global poverty eradication efforts.
Firstly, he emphasised that ensuring peace, stability, and development cooperation is a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and achieving inclusive growth. According to him, the G20 Summit should take the lead in promoting peace, stability, and development cooperation; avoiding the politicisation of science and technology as well as development issues, particularly in trade, agriculture, and food security.
Secondly, he underlined the necessity of ensuring a global agri-food system that is efficient, stable, adaptable, and resilient to climate change as a long-term foundation. He called on the G20 to speed up technology transfer; provide technical assistance, concessional financing, and smart governance for developing and less-developed countries in transitioning to green and sustainable agriculture. Additionally, he urged support for securing food supply chains for low-income countries. And
Thirdly, it is necessary to ensure investment in people, with education, training, and social welfare as key priorities to build a harmonious, inclusive, and sustainable society; and place people at the centre, as the subject, the goal, the driving force, and the important resource for sustainable development, Chinh said. He also emphasised the need to prioritise resources and develop practical, feasible, and effective policies for hunger eradication and poverty reduction, towards "leaving no one behind".
The PM quoted the late President Ho Chi Minh’s adage “Solidarity is invincible” and affirmed that Vietnam pledges to uphold mutilateralism, maintain the close international solidarity, and actively contribute to global efforts to eliminate hunger and achieve sustainable development.
Chinh emphasised Vietnam’s readiness to share its experience and collaborate with G20 nations and international organisations in implementing South-South and trilateral programmes to ensure food security and combat global poverty. His address received widespread support and appreciation from attending nations.
This year’s G20 Summit marks the largest-ever gathering, with the participation from 21 G20 members, 19 invited countries, and 15 key international organisations. Discussions centered on eradicating poverty, promoting inclusive development, and enhancing financial support for low-income countries to implement effective poverty reduction and sustainable development projects. Leaders also explored ways to help developing nations capitalise on opportunities in digital, green, and smart development sectors.
The summit highlighted the need to address global inequalities, including gender and racial disparities, and to support vulnerable communities in narrowing wealth gaps. Leaders underscored the importance of reforming global institutions to tackle current challenges through multilateral solutions.
On November 18 afternoon, Prime Minister Chinh attended a session on "Reforming Global Governance Institutions", aligning with Brazil's call for action during its G20 Presidency. Vietnam, as a proactive developing nation, has voiced strong support for creating more equitable and effective global governance mechanisms.
The 2024 G20 Summit continues on November 19, focusing on sustainable development and energy transition. Prime Minister Chinh is set to deliver remarks during this key session.